The invention relates to a vehicle comprising a rear seat arrangement and spare wheel recess.
A generic vehicle in this case comprises a rear seat arrangement for a rear seat row and a spare wheel recess arranged in a rear region of the vehicle—relative to a vehicle longitudinal axis and a vehicle longitudinal direction extending parallel thereto. A spare wheel for the vehicle is received in this spare wheel recess. Generally, a rear seat arrangement is entirely arranged in front of a spare wheel recess or the rear seat arrangement is able to be at least partially folded away in order to be able to remove the spare wheel from the spare wheel recess if required. In the last-mentioned case a rigid carrier of a seat lower frame of the respective rear seat arrangement is adjustably mounted. In this case, a structure supporting a seat cushion and/or a backrest of the rear seat arrangement is able to be adjusted from a region above the spare wheel recess so that the spare wheel is able to be removed from the spare wheel recess if required. Such solutions are disclosed, for example, in DE 197 02 258 A1, DE 10 2010 051 820 A1 and EP 0 939 024 A1.
Rear seat arrangements with adjustable supporting structures, however, require complex measures for securing the rear seat arrangement in the event of a crash. Thus it has to be ensured that in the event of a crash the supporting structure, which is adjustable for removing the spare wheel, remains in an intended position when the supporting structure is in a position of use and a vehicle occupant is seated on the rear seat arrangement. In principle, therefore, it would be preferable to design a region above the spare wheel recess without parts of the rear seat arrangement. However, in newer vehicle types it is difficult to be able to combine this with the demand to provide a further third seat row. Conventionally, a spare wheel recess has hitherto been dispensed with here. Instead tyre repair sets are provided. This is unsatisfactory, however, particularly in off-road vehicles. Therefore, in off-road vehicles it is alternatively provided to arrange a spare wheel on the rear of the vehicle or in the region of the sub-floor of the vehicle. This in turn, however, has a negative effect on the vehicle length or the floor clearance and the fuel consumption.